A refined sugar is one that has undergone some sort of processing; this includes white, brown and powdered sugars, as well as corn syrup. The refinement process depletes any nutritional value the source could've had to start with. Sugar cane and beets are both used equally to manufacture refined sugar in the United States, and it is also important to note that one of the most popular GMO crops are sugar beets. Most of these sugars are not vegan, not even vegetarian. Once the juice has been pressed and heated from sugar canes (in order to form a solid from a liquid), animal bone char is used to remove impurities, which are carbon remnants of heated animal bones. While some sugar manufacturers use granular carbon versus bone char, it's hard to figure out who uses what. Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added, and powdered sugar is where white sugar has been finely milled, sometimes combined with a starch (like tapioca). Corn syrup is made from the starch of corn, and you should be especially wary of the high fructose variety as it has been shown in studies to kill lab rats almost twice as quickly as white sugar.
It would be in your best interest to steer clear of artificial sweeteners as well. Saccharin, sucralose and aspartame, sweeteners who hide under aliases like Sweet 'n' Low and Splenda, are nothing but chemical shit storms that kill off gut bacteria (which is where most of your immune system lies), slow your metabolism and cause nerve damage (why many people will suffer headaches/migraines and memory loss) just to name a few. Artificial sweeteners literally excite your neurons to death.
It has been found that refined sugar is more addictive than what was thought to be the most addictive substance: cocaine. The Mercola Article "Is Sugar More Addictive Than Cocaine?" states there was a study conducted in lab rats where they not only picked sugar in a choice between it and cocaine, but switched their addiction from cocaine to sugar and worked harder for it. Since refined sugar consumption has spiked within the last fifty years, our anatomy and physiology haven't been given the chance to catch up, so our reward systems get over-gratified and gives way to addiction formation. Refined sugars increase blood sugar levels within 15 minutes of consumption, which means insulin levels increase, which is going to take excess sugar and convert it into glycogen to store in the liver for energy later, then all of the excess is going to be stored as fat. "Sugar highs" which end in an epic failure described as a "crash", occur because foods that are high in sugar and low in everything else (nutrients and fiber, specifically) don't allow for a slow, constant release of sugar to keep the body satisfied over a period of time. These bad boys also create a more acidic environment in the body, which has been proven time and time again to give way to cancer cell growth and reproduction. Refined flours in a sense are very similar to refined sugars, as all of their nutritional contents have been stripped and left to nothing but a starchy base (check out my Instagram post on carbs). While humans have a natural sweet tooth, it is for foods such as fruits, not boxed, "baked" goods.
What kind of sweeteners should you reach for instead? Natural ones like maple syrup, raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, date syrup, brown rice syrup and agave nectar are all excellent. If you're looking for a "zero calorie" sweetener (I put that in quotations because I absolutely HATE that phrase) check out stevia. Be wary of purchasing stevia from the grocery store, as many of them aren't REAL stevia like they claim to be. I would check out a vitamin or natural foods place, and look for the liquid instead of solid, as well as the USDA certified organic seal. Remember folks, not only is your body your temple, but you are what you eat, so make it COUNT!
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/05/sugar-vegan-bone-char-yikes_n_6391496.html
It would be in your best interest to steer clear of artificial sweeteners as well. Saccharin, sucralose and aspartame, sweeteners who hide under aliases like Sweet 'n' Low and Splenda, are nothing but chemical shit storms that kill off gut bacteria (which is where most of your immune system lies), slow your metabolism and cause nerve damage (why many people will suffer headaches/migraines and memory loss) just to name a few. Artificial sweeteners literally excite your neurons to death.
It has been found that refined sugar is more addictive than what was thought to be the most addictive substance: cocaine. The Mercola Article "Is Sugar More Addictive Than Cocaine?" states there was a study conducted in lab rats where they not only picked sugar in a choice between it and cocaine, but switched their addiction from cocaine to sugar and worked harder for it. Since refined sugar consumption has spiked within the last fifty years, our anatomy and physiology haven't been given the chance to catch up, so our reward systems get over-gratified and gives way to addiction formation. Refined sugars increase blood sugar levels within 15 minutes of consumption, which means insulin levels increase, which is going to take excess sugar and convert it into glycogen to store in the liver for energy later, then all of the excess is going to be stored as fat. "Sugar highs" which end in an epic failure described as a "crash", occur because foods that are high in sugar and low in everything else (nutrients and fiber, specifically) don't allow for a slow, constant release of sugar to keep the body satisfied over a period of time. These bad boys also create a more acidic environment in the body, which has been proven time and time again to give way to cancer cell growth and reproduction. Refined flours in a sense are very similar to refined sugars, as all of their nutritional contents have been stripped and left to nothing but a starchy base (check out my Instagram post on carbs). While humans have a natural sweet tooth, it is for foods such as fruits, not boxed, "baked" goods.
What kind of sweeteners should you reach for instead? Natural ones like maple syrup, raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, date syrup, brown rice syrup and agave nectar are all excellent. If you're looking for a "zero calorie" sweetener (I put that in quotations because I absolutely HATE that phrase) check out stevia. Be wary of purchasing stevia from the grocery store, as many of them aren't REAL stevia like they claim to be. I would check out a vitamin or natural foods place, and look for the liquid instead of solid, as well as the USDA certified organic seal. Remember folks, not only is your body your temple, but you are what you eat, so make it COUNT!
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/05/sugar-vegan-bone-char-yikes_n_6391496.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/21/corn-syrup-toxic.aspx
http://www.naturalnews.com/053275_artificial_sweeteners_gut_bacteria_metabolic_dysfunction.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/041307_Aspartame_artificial_sweeteners_obesity.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/23/is-sugar-more-addictive-than-cocaine.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/07/14/insulin-part-one.aspx
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